"AST" 2008 Obituary

ASTER o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2008-01-14 published
Stray bullet kills Toronto man
By Omar EL
AKKAD with a report from
JENNIFERLewington,Page
A1
John O'KEEFE just happened to be walking down Toronto's busiest
street on a Saturday night. That's all it took to cost him his
life.
The 42-year-old Toronto resident and health-food store manager
became the city's second homicide victim of 2008 when he was
killed over the weekend. Mr.
O'KEEFE, an avid environmentalist
and father of a nine-year-old boy, was hit in the head by a single
bullet that police believe was never meant for him. Two men now
face first-degree murder charges in connection to the killing.
"The deceased was struck while he was basically just walking
down the street," said Toronto police homicide detective Graham
GIBSON. "He was just walking."
At around 1: 15 a.m. on Saturday, police were called to the Brass
Rail Tavern, a strip club at 701 Yonge Street, just south of Bloor
Street. Two men had just been kicked out of the club after acting
up. After being booted from the tavern, both men began walking
away, but only got a few metres before turning around.
"They did leave, but they didn't go far," said Det.
GIBSON. "
They
took exception with security [at the Brass Rail]."
Upon returning, one of the two men allegedly pulled out a handgun
and fired a single shot. Last night, police said the gun was
registered to one of the suspects. Police believe it was aimed
at members of the security staff outside the club.
Instead, it hit Mr.
O'KEEFE in the head. The victim was pronounced
dead at the scene.
Mr. O'KEEFE's partner described him yesterday as a wonderful
human being who loved the environment.
"Johnny was a great guy; he really was," said Susan
BANAHAN.
"He loved to recycle - you couldn't throw a tissue in the garbage
when he was around."
Mr. O'KEEFE had a nine-year-old son from a previous relationship.
Together with Ms.
BANAHAN and her child, they formed a family.
Ms. BANAHAN said Mr.
O'KEEFE worked as a health-food store manager
at the downtown Exchange Tower. In his spare time, she said,
he liked to walk around the city - the Don Valley was one of
his favourite spots.
At the time of his shooting, Mr.
O'KEEFE was likely walking to
the subway from the Duke of Gloucester, his favourite watering
hole, Ms. BANAHAN said. Like the Brass Rail, the bar is located
near the corner of Yonge and Bloor.
After the shooting, both suspects allegedly ran away, heading
south on Yonge Street for a few metres before turning onto Charles
Street.
But within 12 hours, police had two men in custody.
"We had excellent witnesses: and support from civilians and community
members and people inside [the club]," Det.
GIBSON said. As a
result, police had the first suspect in custody by 11: 45 Saturday
morning, and the second suspect a couple of hours later. Edward
PAREDES, 22, and Awet
ZEKARIAS, 23, both Toronto residents, are
jointly charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder.
They made their first court appearance yesterday morning at Old
City Hall.
Saturday's killing bore eerie similarities to another shooting
that rocked Toronto in December of 2005. Mr.
O'KEEFE was killed
just a few blocks north of where a brazen shootout claimed the
life of 15-year-old Jane
CREBA.
Both victims were never the intended
targets of the bullets that hit them, yet both were the only
ones to die in each incident.
Ms. BANAHAN was devastated by the news of her partner's death
- she spoke to a reporter yesterday just as news of Mr.
O'KEEFE's
killing played out on her television set at home.
"I'm just so sad that he won't be around any more," she said.
Last night, two of his best Friends, in shock over the fluke
of their friend being in the wrong place at the wrong time, remembered
him as a gentle, funny man, "brilliant at darts" and devoted
to his young son and network of Friends.
"As a father, he showed his son Toronto's every ravine and heritage
building," recalls Andrea
ASTER, a friend for the past 20 years.
"He was an ardent environmentalist whose only wish was that his
son would grow up to be an environmental warrior."
She said that Mr.
O'KEEFE, a 6-foot-2-inch man with "piercing
blue eyes," had a way of making and keeping Friends.
"The people who were his Friends were his Friends for life,"
she said.
Another long-time friend, Brian
EATON, 43, met Mr.
O'KEEFE when
they attended the same Scarborough high school. Mr.
EATON said
his younger brother, Tony, 42, who was in the same high-school
class as Mr.
O'KEEFE and remained close Friends, had invited
him to the family cottage in Huntsville this past weekend. But
Mr. O'KEEFE declined so that he could go skating with his son.
"I wish he had gone to the cottage," said Mr.
EATON.
For the past 15 years, he said Mr.
O'KEEFE was a weekly regular
at the Duke of Gloucester pub, where he played darts.
"When I heard of the shooting I thought to myself I hope that
was not Johnny because he was my one friend who might be walking
down Yonge Street because he goes to the Duke," said Mr.
EATON,
adding that his friend's violent end was the opposite of how
he lived.
"He wouldn't know anyone who has a gun or practices violence,"
said Mr. EATON.
"He was a responsible father, a responsible friend, the kind
of guy that everyone loved and every kind word you would think
of, you would apply to him."
Meanwhile, police are looking for witnesses: to a shooting Saturday
night at Rosemary Lane in the Forest Hill neighbourhood. An unidentified
man in his 20s suffered serious injury when he was shot once
in the stomach near Bathurst Street and Eglinton Avenue, but
is recovering in hospital, Toronto Police said yesterday.

ASTILL o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2008-02-14 published
CROSSLAND,
PaulaAnn (née
ASTILL)
In her 65th year, Paula passed away peacefully at her home with
her family and dear friend at her side on Monday, February 11,
2008. Predeceased by father Alfred and mother Mignonne
ASTILL
(née McSHERRY.)
Paula is the beloved wife of Frank, loving mother
and proud grandmother of families: Steven and Teresa, his children
Jon, Nick, Felicia, Victoria, Ed and his wife Nedy, their children
Allesandra and Daniele, Rosalie and her husband Mark
FITZPATRICK,
and their children Braeden and Nicole. Dear sister of Peter
ASTILL,
his wife Carol, Mary-Adele
ASTILL,
MichaelASTILL, his wife Susan,
and Suzanne
CARSON (née
ASTILL,) her husband Andy
CARSON.
Paula
will be fondly remembered by all of her family and wide circle
of Friends. Paula was active in her parishes, a strong singer
and contributor to the church communities. She enjoyed entertaining
and hosted many popular parties. One of her strongest commitments
was to her children, grandchildren and Friends, for whom she
bought a cottage to enjoy with them. While not an avid waterskier
she proudly prepared feasts for those who were. In her day, Paula
was an avid tennis player by summer and alpine skied with the
'Skibees' in the winter as well as skied most of the hills with
her family in Quebec, Ontario, Vermont and New York, and even
a few in western Canada. With various dear Friends Paula traveled
the world including all of Canada, the U.S., Europe, the French
Polynesian islands of which Bora Bora was her favourite, Australia,
New Zealand, and closer to home Mexico. Paula was a classy lady
and a family person who often said, "I'm here for a good time,
not a long time".
The family will receive their Friends at Egan Funeral Home Baxter and
Giles Chapel 273 Broadway, Orangeville 519-941-2630 on Thursday
afternoon from 2 to 4 and evening from 7 to 9 o'clock. Funeral
mass will be held at St. Cornelius Catholic Church 16631 Kennedy
Road just north of The Grange Side Road Caledon, on Friday morning
at 11 o'clock. Reception to follow at Hockley Valley Resort,
3rd Line Mono south of Hockley Valley Road. Donations in her
memory may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society Dufferin Branch
P.O. box 296 Orangeville, Ontario L9W 2Z7 Condolences for the
family may be offered at www.eganfuneralhome.com

ASTLE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2008-04-15 published
ASTLE,
David,Capt. R.N. Ret.
In his 92nd year at his residence at Fellowship Towers, Toronto.
Following a distinguished career in the navy before and during
the Second World War, he settled in Canada and turned to writing.
He was the author of numerous essays, articles, books and poems.
His masterpiece was The Babylonian Woe The Babylonian Woe, a
history of money. Translated into many languages (including Hungarian
and Mandarin!), the book continues to intrigue readers, as it
has since it was published in the 1970s. Captain
ASTLE is survived
by his first cousin, Sylvia
PUGH and family of Cambridge, Ontario
and the Astle, Edwards, and Moya families in the United Kingdom.
The family will receive Friends at the Humphrey Funeral Home -
A.W. Miles Chapel, 1403 Bayview Avenue (south of Eglinton Avenue
East), on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 from 7: 00-9:00 p.m. A full
funeral mass will follow on Thursday, April 17, 2008, at 2: 00 p.m.
in Saint Thomas's Anglican Church, 383 Huron Street (at the St. George
subway station). Condolences and memories may be for warded through
www.humphreymiles.com.

ASTLES o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2008-05-19 published
ASTLES,
Garry
(August 3, 1951-May 17, 2008)
Garry died at home at the age of 56 after a long struggle with
Multiple Myeloma. Garry was predeceased by his mother, Margaret
DUSTAN. He is survived by his wife, Brenda (née
BURGESS,) children
Caitlin (Tony
SILVA,)
David and Christine, and step-sons Christopher
ALBERT,
GregoryALBERT and Jeff
ALBERT (Cherie,) his sister Susan
McGILLIS
(Rick,) and nieces Heather
NICOLARDI (Tony,)
JenniferKING
(Jeff,) nephew Sean
KING (Lisa) and great-nephews and great-niece
Andrew, Danielle, and Michael
NICOLARDI, and Joshua
KING.
Garry
graduated from the University of Toronto as a Civil Engineer
in 1974 and worked for Dominion Bridge for 18 years. He then
became a Project Manager at Babcock and Wilcox, Nuclear Division,
and worked on projects at St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant in Florida,
Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Maryland, and most recently
at the Bruce Power Plant in Ontario. Garry was an avid photographer,
played hockey with his University classmates for over 30 years,
played baseball with the New Dundee Old Timers, and enjoyed the
many challenges of his golf game - truly a man for all seasons.
Garry made many Friends on whatever project he was working, and
his professionalism, integrity, directness and sense of humour
will be greatly missed by all who knew him. The family would
like to thank Doctor Bob
STEVENS,
DoctorErinnOWENS, and especially
the nurses in the Chemo Suite at Grand River Cancer Centre, and
the Paramed nurses through Community Care Access Centre. The
care, respect and genuine feelings all of them displayed when
caring for Garry made this difficult journey bearable. A special
thanks to Garry's employer Babcock and Wilcox, and PEER Group
where Brenda and Christine work, for being so generous and giving
us the gift of time with Garry over the past few months. Visitation
will be held at the Erb and Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King
Street South, Waterloo, on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 from 2-4 and
7-9 p.m. and
on Wednesday, May 21 from 10-10: 45 a.m. The funeral
service to celebrate Garry's life will follow in the funeral
home chapel on Wednesday, May 21 at 11 a.m. Cremation to follow.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Grand River Regional
Cancer Centre would be appreciated and may be arranged by contacting
the funeral home at 519-7458445 or www.erbgood.com

ASTROFF o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2008-04-24 published
ZUCKERMAN,
Murry (1918-2008)
Beloved husband of Estelle
ZUCKERMAN and the late Rayzel
ZUCKERMAN,
loving father and father-in-law of Alan and Debbie, Linda and
Jeff FARBSTEIN,
Gary and
Beverly,Stuart and Joanne, Mitchell,
and Lloyd and Shari, brother of the late George and Arthur
ZUCKERMAN
grandfather of Leo, Jonah, Eli, Blair, Chase, Aubrey, Chloe,
Adam, Rachel, Jeremy, Jesse, Noah, Riley, Taylor, Andie, Hannah,
Ben, Sam, Aaron, sadly missed by Estelle's children and their
spouses Lori and Jeff
GOSSACK,
Karen and Steven
MILLER, Robin
and Elic ANBAR, and Barry and Susan
ASTROFF,
son of the late
Charles and Rebecca
ZUCKERMAN.
Murry's life was rich in chapters,
beginning as a semi-pro ball player in his youth, and later graduating
as a dental surgeon, and opening a practice. In 1955, he decided
to join the family textile business, where he worked alongside
his brother George until his retirement in 1990. Together, they
grew a small quilting business in Toronto into one of Canada's
largest textile companies, with operations across Canada and
spanning into Europe. Murry was loved, respected, and held in
the highest regard by all who knew him: From Friends to strangers,
he loved people and nurtured relationships, and so people loved
him back. His reputation was impeccable. He was kind, compassionate,
a true gentleman and friend. Murry was fortunate to spend his
life with two wonderful women. His loving marriage to Ray produced
6 children, and along with their spouses, 19 grandchildren. Upon
his retirement, he was fortunate enough to meet and marry Estelle
ZUCKERMAN, and together they traveled the world. Murry will be
sadly missed by us all, but the legacy he left behind is rich
and bountiful. Services at Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel, Friday
April 25th, Internment at Beth Tzedec Memorial Park. Any memorial
donations may be made to the Rayzel Zuckerman Endowment Fund
c/o Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto.